When We Were Children
by LunaSeasMoonChild
Summary: [AU, oneshot] Andrea and Daryl are few of the kids that grow up in the post-apocalyptic world of walkers and geeks. Based on a fanart I saw on fuckyeahdarylandrea tumblr.


**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN 'THE WALKING DEAD'.**

**_Author's notes:_** I saw this adorable fanart on the fuckyeahdarylandrea tumblr of Kid!Daryl and Kid!Andrea where Kid!Andrea scrapped her knee and Kid!Daryl is taking a look at her wounded knee. It was adorable, I tell yah. TOTES ADORBS. hahaXD

**~8~8~**

_**I know our antebellum innocence  
**__**was never meant to see the light of our armistice day…**_

~_Antebellum_, sung by Vienna Teng (Inland Territory album, 2009)

**~8~8~**

Andrea was ten years old when the world as she knew it ended.

She didn't really grasp the shift in reality back then. She didn't really listen to the news. She was more concerned about school (yes, she was a top student then), about friends, about anything a ten-year-old was preoccupied with. News and current affairs weren't exactly something she paid attention to. So when one day, her mom frantically packed their clothes and food while her dad hurriedly gathered the few guns and ammo he had along with his fishing gear and most of their food, she knew that something was wrong. Her parents never told her what was happening as they got into the car and her dad drove off in a rush, but she could sense their panic and fear. They probably didn't want her to feel that way, which is why they never really told her what was going on.

So much for trying to shelter her. She eventually learned the truth about walkers and geeks and the dangers of being eaten alive, of being hungry, of being dehydrated, of being potentially abused by other desperate survivors, of being out in the open, of being on the run.

Their family was lucky. They're still intact up until now, still complete. Some people lost everyone they knew or cared about. But Andrea was lucky that both her mom and dad were still alive and stronger than before. They've managed to help and protect each other to get by.

Andrea had been mostly only with her parents as they traveled, but along the way, they met up with a group of survivors, struggling and fighting to stay alive just like them. The family of three from Florida was quickly incorporated in the group, and that gave them a sense of relief. Andrea hadn't seen any other kid for quite some time, but the group they joined had a boy her own age, Daryl. He'd managed to escape the apocalypse with his older brother, Merle, ten years older than him.

Andrea and her parents would not have come across the group had she not gotten lost in the forest. She and her mom had been at a nearby creek where they were collecting water when several walkers ambushed them. Her mother, who had a knife while Andrea was unarmed, shouted at her to run, and she took off, intent on getting back to her father. However, a few more walkers came at her again, causing her to change her path unthinkingly, and before she knew it, she had gotten the walkers off her back but had gotten lost in the woods. She knew she shouldn't cry out for her parents because the noise would only attract walkers to her, so she kept her mouth shut and kept going while being vigilant about her surroundings. Never had she been more surprised to come across a boy her age, never mind someone with a bow and arrow.

She had never been more relieved to see a human before, even though he had an arrow aimed at her because he thought she was a walker coming out of the bushes. After she told him her name and explained her situation, he let her follow him where they met up with this guy who she would learn was his older brother, Merle.

"And here I thought we were hunting for dinner, little brother," Merle said as he raised his eyebrow at the new girl. "We can't eat that kid. She gon' be just another mouth to feed!"

"We bring her to Rick. Let him decide what we gon' do bout her situation."

Merle let out an exasperated sigh as he glared at Andrea. "Fine!" He then stalked off. Daryl turned back to Andrea, tilting his head to indicate that she keep up with them. Andrea decided she should stick close to Daryl rather than his ill-tempered brother.

They took her to their camp nearby, where she saw a group of people gathered around their tents. Andrea had been wary at first, because they had come across a few other people that had wanted to harm them instead of helping them. But she received a warm reception from the group; a few women came forward and showed their concern for her.

The leader seemed to be a sheriff named Rick. He listened to Andrea, and he talked to the others about trying to find her parents. Merle immediately let his displeasure and opposition known.

"It's a lost cause! They coulda been eaten by walkers by now! No sense in endangerin' ourselves."

Andrea frowned. "They're not dead!"

"Shut up, ya li'l girl! Ya know nothin'!" Merle angrily talked her down.

Rick raised a hand to tell the redneck to settle down his outburst. "We have to try. She said they were camped out a little ways off the highway road. According to Andrea, their car is parked just off the road, it wouldn't be difficult to spot it. Daryl found her not far from our site. We could have two teams. One team would go ahead of the road, while the other goes the other way where we came from. It's not a difficult search."

"It ain't worth it!" Merle protested. "Big fuckin' waste a' time if you ask me, looking for people who's as good as dead."

"We could go to get their stuff. They might have somethin' useful." Daryl added, hoping to give Rick a more practical reason to send out a small search party for Andrea's parents (it was more to get Merle to shut up and just go with it).

Andrea turned around to glare at Daryl. "My parents _are not dead_ and you're not stealing our things!"

Daryl frowned at Andrea. "I didn't say they were."

In the end, Rick decided to look for Andrea's parents. He asked for three volunteers from the group. Two were to go ahead, while another two would go back the other way. Andrea wanted to come with them, but she was advised to stay put. Rick's wife, Lori, decided to take Andrea under her wing for the time being. Lori introduced the little girl to the handful of people in the camp before they settled in for dinner.

It hadn't been long before Andrea was reunited with both her parents. Her father was the first to rush out of the car, not even bothering to close the door, as he fell to his knees when Andrea ran into his arms. Her father didn't say anything; he could only sob as he tightly embraced Andrea. Her mother was also crying as she had her arms around her daughter and her husband.

The family reunion seemed to lift the spirits of the camp, if only for a bit. The chances of them finding each other in the chaos and breakdown of civilized society were slim, and to see the small family beat the odds was comforting. It was the closest to a miracle that they could witness in those times.

In the end, Andrea's family became the newest members to join Rick's group of survivors. Her father's personality and outlook was quite in tune with Rick's, so Rick usually came to consult with him in making decisions for the best of the group. Both of Andrea's parents were handy with guns, so they were good additions for the group's protection. With her father and Andrea's expertise in fishing, they were able to help provide food for the camp, besides the contributions of Daryl and Merle from their hunting. The inclusion of the family of three was seen as quite a boon, and even Merle begrudgingly accepted that.

The group's determination for survival had not been in vain. A few months ago, they came across a safe zone, a haven in their post-apocalyptic setting, after a year of being nomads and losing a few people along the way. No one had ever believed that such a place like the safe zone existed since the refuge centers established before the outbreak of walkers all crumbled down, which eventually led to the collapse of communication and the government, leaving people to fend for themselves in their harsh, new world. What had seemed like a pipe dream, a forlorn hope, was

The safe zone was a small town found near the mountains that had managed to sustain itself as well as protect itself from walkers and malcontent people. Not that they hadn't suffered loses to the virus, because they had, but the residents of the small town were able to react to the apocalyptic situation with grace, thanks to their mayor. The town generally accepted survivors, because they needed the manpower.

Thankfully, the batch of survivors managed to integrate well. Andrea had settled into the safe zone with her parents, but that didn't mean she finally had a sense of ease and peace. She was still as alert as she was when she was out there. Her gun training and self-defense lessons from her father still went on. The gun her father gave her before was still in her keeping, and her parents still hadn't taken it back from her. The safe zone encouraged people to always be armed, even kids as young as ten.

That particular day, Andrea was out in the woods that morning with Daryl. She wanted to learn how to track and hunt, so she asked him to teach her in exchange for cleaning and cooking his catch. She'd have to learn how to gut squirrel and rabbit from him, but she'd seen it enough to be immune to the gory sight of butchering so there shouldn't be a problem. Her parents gave her permission, since the woods area was generally safe, and no walker hoards had been encountered there before. Andrea's parents knew that she and Daryl could handle a stray walker here and there, as long as they stayed armed, alert, and together at all times.

They had just started trekking the woods when Andrea started a conversation. "My mom and dad told me I'm going to be a big sister."

Daryl paused and curiously looked back at her. For a moment, he was silent, not really knowing what to say. "Congratulations then." He went back to slowly walking ahead.

Andrea just let out a loud sigh, not really paying attention to her surroundings nor keeping a stealthy pace as Daryl had told her.

Daryl knew something had been off with her past week, but he had been waiting for the right time to ask her about what had been troubling her. Right now, as they're alone in the woods, seemed like a good chance. He finally stopped and turned to her. "What's wrong with you?"

"I can't believe they're going to have a baby. A baby!" Andrea frowned.

Daryl shrugged. "So? Your parents love each other. They love you. They're good parents. I don't see why they shouldn't have another baby if they wanted to."

"My mom told me a secret, you know. She says she has a feeling that the baby is a girl. That I'll have a baby sister. But dad doesn't know."

Daryl stopped in his tracks and turned to face his companion. "You prefer a baby brother then?" He was being sarcastic. "Maybe you can ask Merle 'bout tips and stuff about having a li'l brother. He knows a thing or two."

"That's not the point!"

Daryl rolled his eyes. "You're complaining coz' you gotta share mommy and daddy's attention. You don't want a kid sister. Yeah, I got your point, ya spoiled brat."

In annoyance, Andrea slapped Daryl's forearm. "You're such a jerk!" She huffed before stomping off. Feeling frustration bubbling to the brim, Andrea's eyes began to fill with tears. She didn't pay any attention to where she was going, which caused her to miscalculate her pace. Andrea hadn't gotten that far before she cried out in pain as her foot got caught in a tree root and she fell to the ground. Since her stride was hurried, her tripping over the root caused her to lurch forward and scrape her knee. She quickly rolled over to sit up. Daryl was by her side in an instant, crouching as he inspected her bleeding knee.

"It really hurts, Daryl." Andrea tearfully said as her wounded knee was propped up.

"Quite your whining. Ain't that bad," Daryl gruffly tried to comfort her as he examined the scrape on her knee.

"'Kay…" Andrea held back a whimper. She couldn't hold back her sniffles though. She bit her lip as Daryl took out his bottle of water and poured some water over the wound so the dirt and soil that clung to the scraped skin would be washed off.

Andrea sniffed again as she raised a hand to her face, wiping her cheeks.

Daryl let out an exasperated sigh, reached in his back pocket, and held out a red cloth to her face. "A bit dirty, but I think you'd prefer to wipe your face wid' it insteada your knee."

Andrea glared at him through her tears. She grabbed the red cloth he was offering her and then threw it back at him as a comeback.

"Hey!" Daryl flinched when the cloth hit his stomach. It didn't hurt, but he was caught totally unaware. Damn, he forgot that she could unleash quite a temper when provoked.

"You are such a jerk sometimes!" Andrea hissed.

"That ain't enough to make you cry," Daryl nodded to her knee. "Now, what're you really cryin' 'bout?"

Andrea looked up to him in surprise, her eyes still glassy from the tears. She took a moment just staring at him, as if deciding whether he could be trusted, before her shoulders slumped in dejection and defeat. "That baby… it's unfair for her to live in a world like this. She won't be able to watch cartoons in the morning. She won't be able to get to eat my mom's cookies. My dad won't be able to take her fishing every weekend. Instead, she'll just live everyday scared of being bitten or eaten by walkers. Afraid that one day they'll break through the defenses and swarm this place and take away the people we love!"

Daryl stayed quiet as he listened to Andrea expose her fears and concerns as another batch of tears made its way down her face. He let out a sigh as he took a seat next to her on the ground. He propped up his knees as rested his elbows on top of them.

"Your mom n' dad are pretty tough, yah know. I mean, they managed to keep you alive all this time, right? And that's besides the fact that yer a good shot. Chances of that kid survivin' in this world is pretty high if you ask me. Between yer parents and having you as a big sis, I wouldn't worry 'bout her. She gon' be just fine."

"You really believe that…?" Andrea's softly asked as she sniffled. She had lost a lot of people in her life, and the thought that she was going to have a baby sister, whom she could also lose to this apocalyptic times in a horrid manner, was something she couldn't deal with. The thought had haunted her ever since her parents told her the news.

"Hell yeah, I do. I know we're gonna survive, coz' we're tough even though we're just ten. We made it this far, and we can make it farther."

Andrea still looked unconvinced. "But a baby? I-I don't know if I'm good enough or strong enough to protect her. What if something happens to Mom and Dad? Could I take care of her?"

Daryl pursed his lips in thought. "Well, you don't have ta be alone in that. There's Rick 'n Lori 'n the others."

At last, Andrea's face held a tiny bit of hope as she looked back at him.

"Tell yah what," Daryl looked to his foot as the tip of his boot poked on the ground in an attempt to look nonchalant. "I'll, I'll help yah. If yah need to babysit or sumthin', I'll keep you company. Yah need help protectin' yer sister, I'll keep you cover. I'll protect you, and you protect yer baby sister. How's that?"

Andrea finally smiled. She nodded. "I'd like that very much," She leaned towards him to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Daryl."

Daryl's face heated up, and he fought to keep his cool. "Now come on, girl, get up. We should head back." Daryl cleared his throat, fighting the flush he felt in his cheeks. He looked away, trying to seem nonchalant and gruff as he held out his hand. "I'll even hold your hand if you want to. But not all the way, though, don't get any ideas. Only up til' the edge of the woods." Merle would've never let him hear the end of it if he saw them holding hands.

Andrea stared at his outstretched hand. Daryl, already feeling a bit embarrassed, tried to mask it with an impatient wave of his hand to get her to hurry up and make her mind up about his offering. "Well? I ain't waiting all day!"

Andrea managed to give a small smile as she finally placed her own small hand in his. He pulled her back on her feet and she gave a small squeeze on his hand as a subtle show of gratitude. With rose-tinted cheeks, Daryl avoided looking at the blonde girl walking beside him whose hand he was holding, for fear that she would tease him relentlessly for his blush.

Little did he know that the Andrea's cheeks were just like his as she kept her head down, trying to hide her flushed face from him.

**~8~8~**

_**But how much would I give to have it back again?  
How much did we lose  
To live this way?**_

~_Antebellum_, sung by Vienna Teng (Inland Territory album, 2009)

**~8~8~**

**_A/n: _**I do hope you people check out the fanart I was talking about that inspired this O/S. It is just absolutely cute! So much fluffiness feels just looking at it! -^0^- ^_^

You can see it here:

http (:) (/)(/) fuckyeahdarylandrea . tumblr post/31074710162/kid-daryl-and-kid-andrea-andrea-fell-while

*just take out the spaces and the parentheses.

So, I have not read the comics, but I am not pertaining to any particular safe zone mentioned in the comics, but just a safe zone in general.


End file.
